


Hour of Separation

by unending_happiness



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec is such a good leader, Alec is the best boyfriend, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Alec Lightwood, BAMF Jace Wayland, BAMF Magnus Bane, Badass brothers, Even the strongest among us need to be loved and protected, Fluff and Angst, Ill always give you a happy ending, Jace and Alec work together, Jace is such a badass and I've never written his pov before, M/M, Matter of Life and Death, Mention of Clary - Freeform, Mention of Izzy, Mention of he who shall not be named of the shadowhunter world, Mention of the lovely Catarina, POV Jace Wayland, Parabatai Bond, Parabatai Feels, Powerful Magnus Bane, Protective Alec Lightwood, So sorry about the damn angst, Vulnerability abounds, You can't really know joy until you know pain, im sorry, it hurts, mention of simon, only the bad guys die here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 08:21:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11157975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unending_happiness/pseuds/unending_happiness
Summary: Jace works with Alec on a life or death mission like they've never had before."The truth was, the only thing he knew for sure was that this life they lived was as cruel as it was dangerous. It caused them endless pain and anguish, and it kept taking even when they thought there was nothing left to take. Still, he couldn’t just sit back and accept his brother’s happiness being ripped away from him right after he found it"





	Hour of Separation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyMatt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyMatt/gifts).



> A birthday present for @ladymatt. M, Remember when I said that your birthday fics couldn't be more different from each other? I know this seems like an absolutely fucked up way to show love to your best friend on her day. I'm sorry.
> 
> I know that something happening to him is your worst fear, and this is me showing you that you don't have to worry about him. His very few vulnerable spots are covered completely by Alexander, and all of the other people in his life who care about him. 
> 
> "Love is the strongest force the world possesses, and yet it is the humblest imaginable."~ Mahatma Gandhi 
> 
> Speaking of love, I love you more than fic writers love to write angst. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
> 
> Title comes from this quote: 
> 
> “Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.” ~Kahlil Gibran
> 
> Beta'd by my super sweet friend @Nan_ette, who did a very fast and wonderful beta job. Two fics in two days?! World beta speed record, and a FANTASTIC job well done at that! Thanks for suffering with me, Nan. Love you sooooooooo much!

Broken glass crunched under his boots. Jace lowered his seraph blade and looked up at his brother. “There’s nothing here,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

“Let’s keep moving,” Alec said firmly, already turning to go back out the door.

“Hey, wait.” Jace grabbed his arm. “You’ve been up for two days. Maybe we should get a few hours of sleep before hitting the next one.”

Alec looked down at his hand, but didn’t shrug out of his grasp. “I’m not stopping,” he said, fierce determination in his tired eyes. “But I understand if you need to rest.”

“I’m fine, but I haven’t been up as long as you, either. I can call someone from the institute to help me for a few hours. Clary will be done soon, or Izzy can come.”

“No. It’s been too long already. I’m finding him _today_ ,” Alec said, pulling away and walking briskly to the door.

“Alec! Stop and touch up your runes at least,” Jace called as he hurried to catch up with him. _Damn his long legs._

Alec stopped just short of the door and spun around to face him. “Fine, but let’s do it fast,” he grumbled. “I’ll do yours and you do mine.” He leaned his bow and quiver against a deteriorated piece of machinery, and took his shirt off in one smooth motion. He spread his arms out and waited.

Jace got out his stele and redrew the fading runes, starting with his back and working around to his front. Going as quickly as possible, he made sure all the most helpful ones were refreshed. He payed special attention to accuracy, precision, agility, and soundless, and drew a nourishment rune. He was just going over the deflect rune on Alec’s neck, when he saw _it_ there, just below his collarbone: A hickey, slightly faded, probably just a few days old.

Normally he would have enjoyed teasing his brother about such a thing, but not now. He knew that one quick swipe over his Iratze would remove it, but he also knew why Alec hadn’t done that himself. He was clinging to that mark. It was a reminder. Possibly one of the only ones he would ever have again.

He felt Alec’s fear spike through their bond as he dropped his hand, his stele getting dangerously close to the healing rune on his side. “Don’t,” he commanded.

“I’m not. All done.” He handed Alec his shirt and took off his own. He studied his brother’s face as he wielded the stele with a steady hand. He looked fierce and steady, even lethal, but Jace could also feel his emotions. He knew there was uncomparable terror and panic resting just below the surface, enough to knock a grown man to the ground. It spoke volumes about Alec’s stubbornness and strength that he was able to put a layer of steel over that raging storm and keep on going. To anyone but him, Alec would look the picture of calm anger, and they would never know he was so terrified. He was proud of his parabatai for being so strong, because he could barely keep even the second hand fear from consuming him.

“Do you have it?” Alec asked, finishing up the last rune.

“Yes. It’s in my jacket,” he responded, already reaching for his shirt. There really wasn’t time to waste.

“And everyone else has one too?” Alec asked.

“Yes, I made sure every team has one,” Jace assured him, even though he had already told him a few times. Control was one of the only things Alec had right now, and he didn’t dare take it from him.

“Ok, let’s go. We have two more places on our list. There’s a rumored abandoned subway station on Seventy-Sixth street in Queens,” Alec said, looking at his phone.

“Rumored?” Jace asked, confused.

“Yeah. There is nothing official in city records, and it was supposedly sealed off years ago. Nobody can even find it now to take pictures. It’s supposed to be behind this wall.” Alec showed him the graffiti covered concrete wall on his screen.

“So we get to bust through that? Cause I’m ready to smash something.” Jace followed Alec out into the evening air.

“What’s the other one?” Jace asked.

“It’s another abandoned building, between here and the station,” Alec said, rubbing his neck the way he always did when stressed.

“We may as well hit that first if it’s on the way.” Jace starting walking.

Alec looked up at the sky as he fell in step beside him. “We only have a few hours of daylight left. Maybe we should skip this one. We’ve checked dozens of them today and come up empty handed. This one is in a pretty populated area. They would want-” Alec stopped, unable to finish his sentence.

Jace knew what he was thinking. They would want Magnus kept in an area without a lot of people around. They wouldn’t want anyone to hear him when they tortured him, or hear the sounds of him destroying things in an attempt to escape. It would make too much of a scene, and so the subway station was a more ideal location.

“I get it, but it’s not out of our way. It’s a quick stop, and if we don’t find the station, that would mean we have to backtrack. The next step is to go back to the loft and see if he somehow made it back there, and we don’t want to have to double back. Ultimately, it’s your call to make, though.”

“Right. Okay, you are right. We’ll give it a quick look,” Alec said, nodding.

“We’ll find him soon. I know we will,” The lie left his mouth way too easily, but Jace had to say something to make Alec feel better. The truth was, the only thing he knew for sure was that this life they lived was as cruel as it was dangerous. It caused them endless pain and anguish, and it kept taking even when they thought there was nothing left to take. Still, he couldn’t just sit back and accept his brother’s happiness being ripped away from him right after he found it.

Alec didn’t say anything. He just took off at a run to their next location, and Jace followed. Jace would always follow him.

It didn’t take them long, and as soon as they stepped inside the gate surrounding the property, Jace looked at Alec. “You smell that?”

His brother’s eyes widened. “Yeah. Yeah I do. This might be it.” Jace could feel his hope, and he tried to push it down as negative thoughts swirled around his head. _Just because he was here, doesn’t mean he still is. Even if he is here, it doesn’t mean he’s alive._ Still, it was hard to deny that this was the closest they had been to finding him.

They moved quickly along the fence and took cover behind an old truck. The closer they got to the huge building, the stronger that smell became. Alec cocked an eyebrow at Jace, and he knew what he was thinking. This was the metallic burnt smell that was specific to destruction caused by magic. It was the very same smell that had hit them when they walked into Magnus’ loft thirty-six hours before and saw the place turned upside down.

Jace will never forget the look of panic on his brother’s face when he woke him up at the institute that morning. “Jace! Wake up. He has him. We have to go _now_!” he said, his voice a strangled sob from trying to hold back tears.

Alec had just come off a night shift, and he had gone back to the the Institute to finish some paperwork instead of going straight home. Home to the loft, where he had been living with Magnus for months. If he had gone straight home, he would have been there when it happened, and Jace knew that Alec could think of nothing else but that fact as they looked from room to room searching through the rubble in a vain attempt to find Magnus. Hell, even waiting for Jace to get up, get dressed, and grab his gear took too much precious time. Later, when they were searching one of the spots, Jace had asked him why he waited for him instead of just going to the loft right away to help Magnus. In response, his brother handed him a folded up sheet of paper from his pocket. A fire message.

**HE’S HERE. Do not come alone...bring Jace ~ M.**

He wasn’t a bit surprised as he read it. As far as he was concerned, the contents of that message were the least shocking part of his day. It was so like Magnus to take the time to add extra words meant to keep Alec safe even while he was fighting for his life. Even in danger himself, Magnus was still trying to protect Alec. He knew that Jace was the best partner he could ever have in battle and that their tied emotions would help Jace know how bad it was for Alec if they were too late to save him. He _always_ thought of Alec first.

If he was being honest, Jace really thought they were going to stumble upon Magnus’ body, as damaged as everything in the Penthouse was. He was beyond relieved when they didn’t. Magnus had clearly put up a massive fight, and there wasn’t blood or any other sign of injury, so Jace took that as sign that Magnus was still alive somewhere.

His relief had been short-lived, though, when he walked into the bedroom to find Alec on his knees on the floor, holding a small red and yellow rectangle. He had never seen defeat in Alec’s eyes like that before, and his pain and anguish hit him like a train, nearly sending him to his knees as well. He was frozen in place, not knowing what to say or do to help. He didn’t know what Alec had found or what it meant, and he was almost scared to ask. He expected his brother to break down, or to say something at the very least, but he didn’t.

With the object still in his fist, Alec placed his hand over his heart and closed his eyes. He sat there for a minute taking deep breaths, and when he opened his eyes again he was like a completely different man. He had leapt to his feet so quickly that he startled Jace, and he hadn’t stopped moving since.

Now they seemed so very close, and Jace hoped that this wasn’t just another dead end. He didn’t know how long they would be able to keep up this brutal pace under the emotional stress. It always caught up to you eventually, and he knew that better than most.  
“Nobody else has found anything,” Alec said, looking at his phone. “I told Izzy to head this way, but I don’t want to wait on her. If he’s in there we need to go in right now.”

“This place is way bigger than I thought, and there are four different entrances. Should we split up?” Jace asked scrutinizing their surroundings.

Alec answered quickly, “No. We don’t split up. I can’t worry about you too. Let’s just go in and hope it’s one big space and we can clear it quickly like most of the others.”

Jace knew what he was thinking. Magnus was ridiculously powerful, and if they had been able to take him from his loft, then what chance did a lone shadowhunter stand against them?

“Let’s do this,” Jace said.

They broke the lock on the door quietly and moved through the dark space with stealth, ears straining to hear what their eyes couldn’t see.

“Shit!” Jace whispered.

“Yeah. That sums it up,” Alec agreed as their eyes started adjusting to the darkness.

They weren’t standing in one big open space like they’d expected. Instead, there was a maze of walled off spaces. Jace counted five doors, two hallways, and two separate sets of stairs that led to who knows how many other rooms.

“Alec.” Jace said, pleading. They were going to have to split up.

“Fine, but I want you to text if you find anything at all. Do not go in alone,” Alec said sternly.

“And you’ll do the same,” Jace replied, knowing damn well that if his brother found Magnus, there was no way in heaven or hell that he would be able to keep himself from rushing in.

“I’ll text you and Izzy my location. I can’t promise anything else.” Alec squared his jaw, expecting an argument, but Jace wasn’t going to give him one. Not now and not with this.

The truth was, in that moment he was fairly confident that Alec could burn the whole world down and walk across ember and ash to save Magnus. That wasn’t the part he was concerned about. He was worried that they would be too late to save him and that burning fire in his brother would consume him from the inside out.

He bit his lip to keep from voicing his concerns. “Okay, you take upstairs and I’ll take down.” Jace kept his eyes on Alec for a few more seconds, watching him climb the steps with his bow drawn and ready.

Jace searched through each area on the ground floor, not finding anything except filing cabinets and office furniture. The smell from earlier was still in the air, but he couldn’t trace it to any specific location. Nothing looked to be damaged, and he became increasingly worried about Alec.

He was at the end of the second hallway when things changed. He lifted his fingers and swiped at the soot on the wall, bringing it to his nose. Magic. Magic did this. Considering there was no actual damage, it was clear to Jace that Magnus’ magic was waning. He was fighting, but getting weaker, and fear bloomed in his chest. _You should text Alec_ , he thought, but he didn’t.

He kept going, following the trail, until he came to a stairwell. There was a basement. Of course this involved a basement. Creepy, psychopathic deeds were almost always carried out in the dark and damp of the underground. _Text Alec_ , he thought again as he descended the stairs with careful steps.

He reached an open door at the bottom and flattened himself against the wall, gripping his seraph blade tightly in his hand with his other one hovering over his holstered dagger. He took a deep breath and peered around the splintered door very slowly. He knew that anyone in there would be able to see through his glamour.

Jace jerked his head back the moment his eyes spotted a man leaning against the wall just inside the door. The circle member appeared to be standing guard just on the other side of this very wall. Jace stopped breathing, afraid that the small sound would alert the soldier to his presence. A guard meant that there was something inside needing guarded. Something like the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Jace closed his eyes and tried to recall what he had seen of the room from his half second view. All he knew was that there was a wall to the left, and the open space where the man was sitting to the right. Even further to the right was a room with another open door. No doubt there would be a second guard in that room. The room where Magnus was surely being held.

Still not breathing, Jace crept back up the stairs, stopped at the landing, and pulled out his phone. He texted Alec and Izzy.

**I think I found him, but I don’t have visual confirmation yet. Stairwell on East side of first floor. There’s a guard just inside the door.**

Alec texted back quickly.

 **Stay there. I’m on the other side of the building**.

 _Stay there._ The words contrasted sharply with the adrenaline pumping through his veins from both him and Alec.

Jace went carefully back down the stairs and took his place against the wall again, watching and waiting for Alec.

An angry voice came from the room at his back,“Get him awake!! He’s on his way!”

 _Magnus is alive._ Jace felt a brief sense of relief before the rest of the statement sank in. Valentine was on his way. They needed to get Magnus out of here.

He heard footsteps and then shuffling from the man on the other side of the wall.

“I don’t know if I can. You gave him way too much. He’s out cold,” another voice came from farther inside the basement.

“He was tearing apart everything in the room. He took three of us out. I had no choice!” the first voice yelled again. Jace couldn’t help the feeling of pride that swelled in his chest. Magnus was fighting. He was fighting hard.

“Well, we have to try. He’s gonna kill us all if we can’t get him to cooperate, and he can’t do anything when he’s fucking passed out, now can he?!” the second man shouted.

Three. There were at least three men in the room. _Alec where are you?_ Jace was just about to text him again, when he heard heavy footsteps from the room and a loud, sickening crack. Jace knew that sound. That was the sound of bone on bone, most likely someone’s hand hitting someone’s face. Blood boiled in Jace’s veins and he fought to keep his emotions in check. He didn’t need Alec going off the rails because of something he couldn’t even see.

“He’s still not waking up. Do it again. Do whatever you have to do.”

 _Hell no!_ Jace had already stepped around the corner and slid his dagger into the guard’s neck by the time the second punch landed on Magnus’ face. He heard another crack and Jace swore he was going to relish watching Alec carve these sons-of-bitches to pieces.

He grabbed the man’s body and slid him slowly and silently to the ground, before turning his attention to the room where Magnus was being kept. They were so busy roughing him up that they didn’t even know Jace was there yet, and it gave him the advantage, as horrible as it was. Another crack echoed through the space. This time it sounded like something heavier than a fist was used.

Jace stepped in front of the open doorway, not even caring if they saw him now. He could try to divert their attention away from Magnus at the very least. Not such a stellar plan considering he was without backup at the moment, but he didn’t care. The love of your parabatai’s life wasn’t a bad thing to sacrifice yourself for.

Three huge men were standing with their back to Jace. Great, he was off in his count by one. It could always be much worse, though.

Then he saw him. Magnus Bane. The High Warlock of Brooklyn. His brother’s boyfriend. The man who had saved Alec’s life many times over. The man who had selflessly helped all of them when they needed it. There he was slumped on the grimy floor with his hands bound behind his back and blood dripping down the side of his face. He was still out cold, because these fucking idiots obviously didn’t realize that hitting someone in the head didn’t really help wake them up.

The biggest one asked the others, “Maybe we should start cutting off those magical fingers, one-by-one. Think that’ll wake him up?”

Jace is the one who answered him, “You’re not touching him again.” He held up his glowing seraph blade to drive the point home, as the three men whipped around to look at him.

“You think you’re going to stop us? One shadowhunter?” They laughed, stupidly.

“Yes. I do,” Jace said, cocking his head and narrowing his eyes at them.

The nearest man drew his blade and stepped towards him, while the other two stayed close to Magnus. _Keep coming_ , he thought. Jace took five steps backwards, trying to draw him out, and also trying to position himself so that Alec would see him as soon as he got downstairs.

“Oh look, he’s scared,” the man taunted.

Jace laughed.

“You think this is funny, boy?” the one to Magnus’ right asked.

“It’s pretty funny, actually. You are the ones who should be scared,” Jace said, his voice the picture of cool control.

“Of you?” They laughed, and the sound made Jace want to slit their throats.

“Oh you should be terrified, but not of me,” Jace said, and enjoyed the confused looks they exchanged.

“Of him?” he asked repulsively, as he pointed to Magnus and then kicked him hard in the side. “He’s nothing but a disgusting downworlder to be used and thrown away like all the rest of them.”

Magnus groaned in pain and Jace swore his heart cracked wide open. Jace’s parabatai bond tugged and he knew that Alec would be with them in a matter of moments. He had to think fast, because once Alec got in there things were going to get messy fast, and there were two very sadistic men within arm’s length of Magnus.

He quickly tossed his seraph blade from his right hand to his left and held out three fingers with his right hand, communicating wordlessly to Alec, who had just reached the basement, that there were three men inside.

Even though Valentine’s men couldn’t yet see Alec from where they were, it was clear that they had heard him approaching.

Jace acted first, knowing that if he didn’t Alec would. He lunged forward and blocked a strike of the nearest ones’ blade. He landed a hard center kick, and used his enemy’s lapse in control to gain the advantage. He swung his seraph blade back up and stabbed the man in the heart, then looked around the room to see how Alec was faring.

The other two men were hit, Alec having fired off arrows with perfect accuracy. His hits weren’t deadly this time, though, and Jace knew why. Alec never missed a target. If he didn’t kill you, it was intentional.

The one to the left had an arrow in his shoulder and was reaching down for his dropped weapon. Jace swept his feet out from under him, knocking him to the floor with a satisfying thud. He placed a foot on his windpipe.

The one to Alec’s right was pinned to a wooden cabinet by an arrow through his wrist, and his brother pulled out his dagger and stabbed the man through his other shoulder, causing him to scream in pain. Alec said, “Shut up and do not move or I will kill you,” in a dark demanding voice.

“You’re going to kill me anyway!” he spat out as Alec kneeled down next to Magnus.

“I’m not. _He is_ ,” he said, lifting one shaking hand to Magnus’ face, and holding his other out for the syringe Jace had in his pocket.

The only possible way to subdue a warlock as powerful as Magnus was to heavily sedate him, and Catarina had made a potion that would counter the effects and wake him, kind of like an adrenaline shot for warlocks. Sure, any one of them could just carry Magnus to safety, but each search team had been given one for purely practical reasons. As cold and uncaring as it seemed, chances were that they would need Magnus to open a portal and get them all back out in time after he was rescued. Even injured and exhausted, Magnus was still their best chance for survival against Valentine and the men and demons he used.

Alec cradled Magnus’ head in his hand as gently as if he were made of glass. “Hey. I’m here. It’s okay,” his voice shook as adrenaline, terror, and relief intermingled in his chest.

“Alec, Valentine’s going to be here any second. They were trying to wake Magnus up because he was on his way. We gotta go, like now,” Jace said, getting more panicked by the second.

“Shit! Izzy’s on her way. Text her and tell her and Simon to wait outside with the van. I don’t want him to have to do anything when he wakes up, Jace,” he said as he cut the rope from Magnus’ hands.

Jace sent the text to Izzy, but reminded his brother, “We might not have a choice Alec, and maybe you should hold off on his hands until he wakes up. He’s going to be really disoriented.”

“He’s not going to hurt me,” Alec said confidently, before injecting Magnus with the serum.

Jace had to hand it Cat, the stuff worked exactly as she said it would. Magnus jerked awake, sucking in a breath as his eyes popped open, and he sat straight up. He instinctively lifted his hands, and waves of red magic started seeping from them.

Jace became worried for Alec, and he quickly moved to his side. Who knows what all Magnus had gone through, or how aware he would be. This was a very dangerous situation for both of them.

“Magnus. It’s me. It’s me. Everything’s ok. Look at me. I’ve got you. I got you,” Alec whispered in a soothing voice, tears brimming in his eyes as he took in all of Magnus’ injuries.

Magnus immediately dropped his hands and slumped against the wall, grimacing in pain. “Alexander,” he said, his voice gravely. “You found me.”

“Of course I did. I know you are tired and hurting, but we’ve got to get out of here.” Alec grabbed Magnus and hoisted him to his feet.

“Alec,” Jace warned. “Izzy and Simon are busy with a hoard of demons, and he’s in the building now. We have to portal out.”

“Magnus, can you open a portal? I promise it’s the last thing you have to do.” Alec held his boyfriend tightly, and Jace wondered if he would ever let him go again.

“I think so, but I’ll need your strength. What about them?” Magnus asked looking at the two injured men in the room.

“I thought you might want to take care of them yourself,” Alec answered.

Jace added, “Or I can do it, if you are too tired. Whatever you want to do man.” 

“Which one is the cause of this splitting headache I have?” Magnus asked bitterly.

Jace pointed a finger at the one nearest Alec, “That dickhead over there.”

“Good, I’ll get him and you can take care of the other one,” Magnus replied, holding a hand out to Alec so he could siphon some much needed strength.

“Done,” Jace said, and then killed the man with a swift slice of his blade.

Alec stood behind Magnus, letting him lean against him and squeezed his hand tightly. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Go.”

Magnus waved his hand with a flourish, and sent a burst of flames over the man who had so sadistically hurt him.

He turned away, stumbling, from the screaming circle member, and Alec steadied him with sure hands.

He puffed the air out of his chest and thrust both his hands out, using every last bit of energy he had to create a portal. Alec was helping him towards it, when suddenly Magnus stopped and turned to look at Alec, his eyelids drooping. “Thank You,” he muttered weakly before passing out. Alec caught him and hoisted him up over his shoulder easily.

“You need help?” Jace asked. “I’m sure you’re tired.”

“No. I’ve got him,” Alec answered, as they stepped through the portal.

When they came through the other side, they were on the front lawn of the institute. Alec slumped to the ground and positioned an unconscious Magnus so that he was lying in his lap with his back to Alec’s chest. He wrapped his arms around him and buried his face in his shoulder. Jace’s bond told them he was crying.

“I’m gonna text everyone and tell them that we’ve got him. I’ll also ask Cat to come heal him. You want to take him to your room? It’ll be more comfortable than the infirmary.”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Alec said, his muffled voice cracking.

Jace turned away to give them a moment when Alec called out to him, “Jace.”

“Yeah?” he asked.

“I couldn’t have done any of it without you. Thank you. I don’t know…..I can’t even think about what would’ve happened..” Alec tried, but failed to find the words.

“Hey, I would do anything for you. And yes, you could have done it without me, Alec. I know it hurts like hell having your heart walk around outside your body, but he’s good for you. He makes you stronger.”

Tears threatened to brim over from all the heaviness, so Jace decided to lighten the mood. He teased, “You better not get snot on his coat, or he’s going to kick your ass.”

Alec laughed through his tears, “He’s a force to be reckoned with, that’s for sure.”

Jace nodded, “For sure. _You_ make _him_ stronger too.”

Alec gave him a grateful smile before turning his attention back to Magnus.

Weeks later, when Magnus was good as new and they were cleaning weapons, Jace asked Alec about what he found on the floor of Magnus’ bedroom the night he was taken.

“It’s his omamori. It’s the first gift I ever got him. It’s supposed to bring him luck and protection, and he always has it on him,” Alec answered softly, clearly pained by the memory.

“So, why didn’t he have it that night?” Jace asked.

“He dropped it on purpose. He was afraid Valentine would make him use it to track me. That he would use me as leverage to get Magnus to do what he wanted. I told him that’s a chance I was willing to take if it meant extra protection for him.”

Jace looked at his brother curiously, “What did he say to that?”

“He said that I’m all the luck and protection he’ll ever need,” Alec answered proudly, with a soft smile.

**Author's Note:**

> *hides* Sorry. I had to do it. Happy endings though, right? I hope I did ok with Jace, as it's my first time writing from his POV. It's also really my first time writing any kind of fight scene, so I hope it wasn't absolutely terrible.
> 
> Comments and kudos are the best so please feel free to talk to me.
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr @blj2007 where I'll be freaking out about Malec 24/7 as per usual.
> 
> As always, these characters do not belong to me and are property of Cassandra Clare and Freeform (Shadowhunters TV)


End file.
